North Korea fires 200 shells offshore, residents of two South Korean islands ordered to evacuate

An escalation of tensions. South Korea ordered the evacuation of residents from the islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong located near North Korea on Friday, January 5, after the latter fired around 200 artillery shells off its west coast.

Residents of these two South Korean border islands, located in the Yellow Sea, have been asked to evacuate, according to local officials. In the wake of Pyongyang’s artillery barrage, South Korea denounced “act of provocation”urging his neighbor to put an end to it and warning that he will respond with measures “appropriate”.

“Our army is closely following and monitoring the situation”

“We strongly warn that North Korea bears full responsibility for this escalation of the crisis and we urge it to immediately cease these actions”wrote the South Korean Ministry of Defense in a statement. “Our army is closely monitoring and monitoring the situation in close coordination with the United States”he added.

In 2010, Pyongyang had already fired 170 artillery shells on the island of Yeonpyeong, killing four people, including two civilians, in the first North Korean attack against civilians since the Korean War (1950-1953).